Lifting off the pad at 18:51 EDT, the Falcon 9 unleashed its nine Merlin engines producing 7,607kN of thrust, the spectacle of which is captured in this photograph.

The first stage returned to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You 9 minutes after liftoff, a feat which is now routine but still makes us giddy with excitement. However, unlike 11 previous launches which reused previously launched rockets, the Falcon 9 launching TESS was brand new.

Unlike its predecessor Kepler, which only searched a region of the galaxy, TESS will image over 85% of the sky over the next two years – around 350 times the area searched by Kepler.

It’s expected to monitor at least 200,000 stars searching for exoplanets with the potential to support life.

“TESS is small but it is mighty, because it will search the whole sky, all the bright stars we can see at night, for worlds orbiting them.

When looking up at night, we will be able to point at bright stars in the night sky and say — right there, there is a star that hosts another Venus, Mars, or maybe even another Earth,” said Lisa Kaltenegger from the TESS science team.

About the Author

Ben Lewis
Ben Lewis is the Editor of Australia’s Science Channel, and a contributor to Cosmos Magazine. He has worked with scientists and science storytellers including Brian Cox, Chris Hadfield, Robert Llewellyn, astronauts, elite athletes, Antarctic explorers, chefs and comedians. Ben has also been involved in public events around Australia and was co-writer, producer and director of The Science of Doctor Who, which toured nationally in 2014 in association with BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand. Want more Ben? You can hear him on ABC and commercial radio in Adelaide, regional SA, across NSW, and the ACT. He also speaks at universities around Australia on communicating science to the public. Around the office he makes the worst jokes known to mankind.

Published By

Science and technology is as much a part of our cultural fabric as art, music, theatre and literature. They play a significant role in our daily lives, yet, in a world dependent on science, we often take them for granted. Australia’s Science Channel believes every citizen has a right, and a responsibility, to be informed, and our mission is to create programs to bring that about.